Wounded officer called 'hero' after courthouse shootings

Feb. 11, 2013

Wilmington firefighters and New Castle County paramedics respond to a shooting at the New Castle County Courthouse around 8 a.m. in the 500 block of King Street. / T. J. Healy II / Special to the News Journal

WILMINGTON — Two women were shot to death when a gunman opened fire at the New Castle County Courthouse this morning, state police said. The shooter, who police said is dead, was the former father-in-law of one of the women killed, law enforcement and legal sources said.

Police said the gunman entered the lobby of the courthouse about 8 a.m. and started shooting, and Capitol Police returned fire. Two injured Capitol Police officers were shot in the chest, but saved by bulletproof vests.

One wounded officer was identified this evening as Steven Rinehart, 50, a retired New Castle County officer who joined the state force last year, law enforcement sources say.

Police said Rinehart and another Capitol Police officer were injured in the shooting, and were later released after seeking treatment at a hospital.

The other injured officer has not been identified, but police said he is a 42-year-old on the force seven years.

Rinehart ran into the open lobby area of the courthouse as the shooting began and exchanged gunfire with the gunman, probably saving other people, a law enforcement person familiar with the investigation said.

Rinehart retired as a senior corporal from the county police on July 14 after serving 24 years, according to a county resolution passed last month commending his service.

He served in the patrol division, traffic services, motorcycle unit and Westover Hills patrol, and was a certified police instructor and active as a field training officer.

Law enforcement and legal sources identified the gunman as Thomas Matusiewicz, the 68-year-old father of David T. Matusiewicz, a former optometrist who spent time in federal prison for kidnapping his three daughters and bank fraud in 2007.

David Matusiewicz, 45, was involved in a bitter custody fight with his ex-wife, Christine Belford, identified by law enforcement and legal sources as one of the women killed in the shooting. The other woman killed has not been identified.

It was unknown whether police killed the shooter when returning fire or if he took his own life. Police said at least one of the victims was targeted by the shooter.

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Delaware State Police Sgt. Paul Shavack said police went through the courthouse after the shooting room by room to make sure there were no other issues. People who were already in the courthouse were held in place during the security sweep, Shavack said.

Vice President Joe Biden, at a roundtable to discuss gun violence in Philadelphia, thanked Wilmington Police Chief Christine Dunning for attending. “She had a rough day today,” Biden said, going over some details of the shooting and lamenting recent gun violence several miles from his Delaware home.

Dunning said she attended Biden’s event instead of returning to deal with the shooting because she trusted her staff to handle the deadly event.

“Gun violence unfortunately is almost a daily event in the city of Wilmington. I thought it was important to be here today to participate in this roundtable. We agree with a lot of the vice president’s initiatives,” Dunning said following the roundtable, pointing to the proposed bans on high capacity magazines, mandatory reporting of lost and stolen firearms and mandatory background checks.

At about 11:50 a.m., about six people were allowed to leave the courthouse to walk across the street and came up King Street.

“I have to go to my kids,” she said

Ralph Hilton got a call this morning from his sister, Victoria Warren. His sister was in the courthouse for jury duty.

“They were shooting, they were shooting,” is what Hilton heard his sister say.

Hilton said his sister was calling from a room she was hiding in. Because people are not allowed to take their cellphones in, she was calling him from a landline phone. But when the phone went dead he drove from his office and was on King street awaiting word from her.

“She sounded upset,” he said.

Ferris Wharton, a public defender and former chief deputy attorney general, said an employee of his office reported that he saw a woman who appeared to be dead in the lobby. The employee also saw bullet holes in the window by the revolving door of the courthouse that is adjacent to the parking garage. Shell casings littered the ground, the employee said, according to Wharton.

“I don’t know what to say,’’ said Wharton, who has worked in the Wilmington courthouses for three decades. “I’ve never heard of anything like this happening in Delaware. It’s a wild situation.’’

Sandra Autman, deputy New Castle County prothonotary, says she and several other “hysterical staff” were holed up in their mezzanine office, one level below the lobby. She said employees heard at least five shots.

After the shooting broke out, dozens of police cars converged on the area, and streets were cordoned off for several blocks around the courthouse. Multiple ambulances and firetrucks also were on the scene.